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Acknowledgments
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191 191 Acknowledgments First and foremost I wish to thank Ann Norton’s two nieces, Edith Weaver Haney and Lane Weaver Byrd, who shared their memories and archives with me with unstinting generosity and patience. Edith, the family archivist and historian, pored over Weaver family papers for years, teasing out the necessary facts about Ann’s background, following up leads, and making contact with people who might be able to help. No researcher could have done more. She was also wonderfully hospitable during my trips to Alabama, as was her husband, Lynn, who uncomplainingly (and expertly) drove us around during these complex visits. My visit to Lane in Chatham, Massachusetts, was equally productive. Another key person in helping me write the book was Cynthia Palmieri , director of the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens and guardian of the flame. She knows every file, every artwork, and every photograph that exists in the house where Ann Norton lived and died (and much material elsewhere), but far more than that, she almost channels Ann Norton herself , giving me constant guidance and revelations about the life and art of this exceptional woman. Cynthia also assumed the enormous responsibility of sorting and scanning most of the images required for the book—a herculean task. Aiding Cynthia were her indispensable colleagues, Donna Pfeiffer and Isolde Koester, who welcomed and helped me the many times I visited Barcelona Road. Sherri Sabo at Zabo Graphics worked tirelessly and under great pressure to improve the many problematic images. I cannot thank them enough. I was given permission to access the archives without restrictions by Rodman Steele, former president of the Gardens, and David Miller, former president and current vice-president of the Gardens, both of whom received my proposal to write the book with enthusiasm. They have my 192 · Acknowledgments gratitude. Veronica Boswell Butler, former president and vice president, supported me from the beginning. Ann’s story begins in Selma, Alabama, her birthplace. During my visits there, several relatives and family friends, including Bobby Willis, Erin Vaughan, Christine Vaughan, and Trot Vaughan, took the time to speak to me about her family. I talked to Selma native John Lott in Palm Beach, where he now lives. The late Jean Martin, guardian of the Old Depot Museum in Selma, was very helpful, as were Manera Searcy, director of Sturdivant Hall in Selma, and Becky Nichols, Anne Wright, and Mary Morrow at the Selma-Dallas County Public Library. I was inspired by the artist Rosalind Tarver Lipscomb, Ann’s cousin, whom I met at an exhibition of Weaver art at the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama in 2010 and afterward talked to at her home in Huntsville. Graham Boettscher, curator of American Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art, gave me fascinating insights into the art and politics of the South and introduced me to useful contacts, including Joe and Christine Wilson, who generously showed me their collection of Clara Weaver Parrish ’s art in their Birmingham home. John P.C.McCall in Mobile was an essential source; his collection of Weaver papers and knowledge of Selma history were invaluable. Joel Rosenkranz, of the Conner Rosenkranz Gallery in New York, was particularly informative about the New York art world in the 1930s. I also wish to thank Karol Lurie, former curatorial administrator, and Maggie Edwards, both at the Norton Museum of Art; librarians Stephanie Cassidy, at the Art Students League, in New York, and Deborah Kloibe, at St. Catherine University, St. Paul, Minnesota; and archivists Deborah A. Richards, at Smith College, Carol Salaman, at Cooper Union, Debbie Vaughan, at the Chicago Historical Museum, and Laura Zelasnic, at the National Academy of Design. Scott Moses at the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, and Debi Murray, director of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, were both generous with their archives. John Benson, whose father ran the John Stevens School in Newport when Ann studied there, was enormously helpful in describing life at the studio, which was such an important part of Ann’s early life. Others who provided me with important information, contacts or hospitality were Hope Alswang, Claudia Aronow, James Y. Arnold, Cartledge Blackwell, the late Thomas M. Chastain, James M. Clark, Lynn Leofanti [35.171.22.220] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 22:04 GMT) Acknowledgments · 193 Cole, Dr. Joseph Doane, Mimi Duncan, Ouida George, Helen Goldberg, the late E. Robert Hunter, Nicholas Hunter, Leo and Peggy Leofanti, Cara Montgomery, Glen Rawls, Joan Rosenbaum, Edwina Sandys, John Strange. Sian M...